In a new Eliquis bleeding lawsuit, a Kentucky woman claims the makers of the blood thinner failed to warn of the risk of uncontrollable bleeding and other dangerous Eliquis side effects from doctors, patients, and the Food and Drug Administration.

In the April 29 complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, the plaintiff accuses Bristol-Meyers Squibb and Pfizer Inc. of touting the drug as safe and effective, while hiding Eliquis bleeding risk data and failing to warn doctors that there is no antidote to the drug.

Plaintiff Blanche M. was prescribed Eliquis to treat her atrial fibrillation (AFib).

Shortly after taking the drug under the direction of her physician, Blanche suffered from Eliquis side effects that included a hematoma with acute blood loss anemia requiring multiple blood transfusions.

Blanche also alleges that the drug makers failed to disclose information they possessed to the medical community and the FDA information regarding the failure to adequately test and study for life-threatening Eliquis bleeding risk, making the warnings for the blood thinner even more inadequate.

About Eliquis

Eliquis (generic name apixaban) is a blood thinning drug developed by Bristol-Meyers Squibb and Pfizer. Eliquis is administered to reduce the risk of blood clots for patients with Atrial fibrillation (AFib) and Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), Pulmonary Embolism (PE), as well as people recovering from hip or knee replacement surgeries.

Eliquis is one of three new drugs (the others being Pradaxa and Xarelto) seeking to gain a portion of the potential $10 billion market for this new brand of pharmaceuticals.

The prevailing treatment for decades has been warfarin (marketed under the name Coumadin).

Eliquis offers patients less intensive monitoring than Coumadin as one of its benefits. Unlike Coumadin, however, which has been generic for years and costs about $200 per year, Eliquis, Xarelto and Pradaxa can cost consumers (as well as the U.S. government and insurance companies) many thousands of dollars per patient in annual costs.

Additionally, there is no commercial reversal agent available, which may lead to more serious and possibly harder to treat Eliquis side effects than with Coumadin.

Dangerous Eliquis Side Effects?

Eliquis has recently been linked to internal bleeding and other serious side effects.  These serious internal bleeding events can be extremely difficult to treat. Warning signs and symptoms of serious internal bleeding may include:

• discolored urine (blood in the urine)
• red or black-colored stool
• vomiting or coughing up blood
• frequent nose bleeds or gum bleeding
• weakness and swelling in the extremities
• any other unusual bleeding

Eliquis is said to present less of a risk of bleeding in the brain than warfarin when given to AFib patients.

The trouble is that, as with Pradaxa and Xarelto, Eliquis side effects may cause more serious bleeding events in other regions of the body.

In turn, these bleeding events may be more difficult to treat.  With Coumadin, which thins the blood by blocking Vitamin K, administering a bleeding patient Vitamin K can serve as an antidote to a severe bleeding event.

There is no such antidote to date for Eliquis side effects, which in turn can lead to more severe outcomes for those suffering from anticoagulant-induced bleeding events.

Filing an Eliquis Bleeding Lawsuit

Eliquis Attorneys are investigating the causes of alleged Eliquis-induced bleeding incidents.

If you or someone you love has suffered Eliquis side effects, including a severe internal bleeding event, you may have an Eliquis bleeding lawsuit and should contact an Eliquis lawyer for a free, no-obligation consultation.

The Eliquis Bleeding Lawsuit is Case No. 0:16-cv-00053 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.